Preview: Perth Glory v Adelaide United

No Guts, No Glory! Get ready to give Shane Smeltz and Travis Dodd a Glorious welcome as the new season brings about new hope...

Perth Glory v Adelaide United
Sunday 9th October, 4.30pm

No Guts, No Glory! Get ready to give Shane Smeltz and Travis Dodd a Glorious welcome as the new season brings about new hope...

There can't be any denying that last season was a nightmare for Perth Glory. After a bright start things rapidly went pear-shaped and a horrific losing streak left them fighting to avoid the wooden spoon.

Fast-forward a few months though and there is such optimism about Perth Glory that you would never know the club finished with only North Queensland Fury below them in the ladder. With the Hyundai A-League 2011/12 season about to begin, the playing field is once again level and Glory are ready to take on all-comers.

So get along to nib Stadium for this opening fixture and get ready to sing your heart out as your side looks to get off to the ideal start against last-season's pace-setters.

Glory go into the opening game of the campaign boasting a couple of outstanding close-season captures. New Zealand world cup star Shane Smeltz arrives to boost their front-line and his arrival will surely strike fear into the hearts of back-lines across the Hyundai A-League.

Not only that, but he will be joined by Travis Dodd, who arrives at the club from Sunday's opponents. With pace, skill and the ability to switch from the left wing to the right, he is a hard man to for defences to get a handle on. The combination of Smeltz and Dodd has the potential to be one of the most potent attacking units in Australia.

If the Hyundai A-League 2010/11 season was tough viewing for The Shed, this year could be a very different experience indeed.

Dodd immediately comes up against his old team-mates on Sunday and, in Adelaide, Glory face a tough test on this first weekend of the season. Like Glory, there have been changes in the ranks at Hindmarsh.

While Dodd has headed west, striker Bruce Djite returns for a second stint at the club. Since his 35 appearances and 11 goals with the Reds last time round, Djite has played in Turkey and, last season, was instrumental in Gold Coast United's journey to the Preliminary Final.

As well as Djite, United have also brought in versatile Ukrainian Evgeniy Levchenko and, of course, there are the very impressive inclusions of Dario Vidosic and Jon McKain. Such strong additions suggest that United are intent on pushing on from what was an impressive campaign last time round and it would take a brave person to back against them topping the ladder this time.

They'll spy this weekend's fixture as the chance to pick up an early win as, last season, United won all three encounters between the sides.

With such a tough opening game, it's going to be up to The Shed to ensure that your players, new and old, have your loudest and most vociferous support.

So make sure you get yourself a ticket today and get ready for the new season to explode into life with this blockbusting first match. Glory are ready to show plenty of guts in the Hyundai A-League 2010/11 season and they want you there with them all the way. Remember, no guts, no glory!